Hey guys! Two of my mice, Darcy and Daisy, are sisters. They were separated after I got them (each to be a companion for a deer mouse) and haven't had any contact since then (except for once, about a month and a half ago). Around Christmas time, Darcy started having a weird thing going on with her eye. It's only the left eye, and it seems like it's running. You can see the path the tears/liquid takes out of her eye and it looks a little wet around the eye, but otherwise there are no symptoms. It has not changed since I first noticed it, so I'm not sure it's a huge issue.

And yet, just yesterday, my sister brought me Daisy (who stays in her room) with a seriously wet eye. The area around the eye is clearly wet/slicked back by moisture and it's almost like the eye looks larger. I know that's not possible, but if it were a wound, it would look inflamed. I'm starting to think it might actually be a genetic issue, and here's why-- Darcy stays with three roommates, and Daisy stays with one. None of said roommates have had issues at all. They look like normal mice and nobody at all is clicking, has a running nose, nothing. It's just the left eye on each of the girls (coincidence on the whole left eye thing, but).

1) What can I be doing to alleviate pain/maybe ease it up a little? I tried using a warm cotton ball at one point (wet a cotton ball with lukewarm water, used it like a compress on her face for a moment), but it didn't seem to help at all. I'll continue doing that if you think it might help.2) Could it be environmental factors? I use fleece and newspaper for Darcy's bedding, my sister uses the same. We're working on getting a good mix on their diet, they have a seed mix (mostly millet I believe), mealworms, and tiny dog biscuits right now. I'm desperately trying to get the time to calculate everything out and create a permanent mix.-I know Daisy has to be allergic to something, she has literally always been sneezy-- ever since we got her several months ago. There are no other symptoms and we've been switching out bedding types to try and figure it out, but maybe this is over-grooming for her?3) If it IS overgrooming, how do I remedy that? 4) The cages are typically cleaned out every week and a half, but we're trying to get it to every, like, four days. They get smelly very quickly and I'd like to switch them out (save the nest box) every few days.

Any help is appreciated. Thank you!

_________________New to the world of mice, but not to the world of rodents. Mice, hamsters, gerbils, chinchillas.My meeces: Darcy, Daisy, Daphne, Kalypso, Saratoga

Other pets: Kitties Juniper, Ozzie, and Rosie, Teddy Bear the poodle, Chinchillas Lily and Nina (a mother-daughter pair), Ferrets Hope and Azrael, and the fish-- Neon Tetras named after the Beatles and a Bristlenose Plecostomus named James. James is female.

Founder of Project Happy Paws-- phpaws.cf and foster mom to Strudel and Bagel!

Rest in peace, dear Scuttlebug and Shiloh. I love you both, now and forever. You'll always be my babies.

Hello!Sorry those two girls seem to be having problems. :/ I won't be the best of help, but I wanted to comment on a few things. A couple of horses at the barn I ride at get the runny-eye thing sometimes, but I don't think they're in pain from a simple runny eye. Maybe you could get some eye drops for animals on Amazon or something, and put a drop in their eye twice a day everyday until it clears up? Not sure if that would work or not. Or maybe just try gently cleaning their eye/around the eye with a damp cloth and see what that does.And, if one of your mice have been sneezing since you got her, she might have a light respiratory infection... I've gotten a few mice from Petco who I observed sneezing a lot soon after getting them; and I was pretty sure it wasn't normal. =P Anyways, hopefully someone else comes along and gives you better advice. I hope you get that solved and they're completely back-to-normal soon! :hugs:

@Blessed wrote:Hello! I've gotten a few mice from Petco who I observed sneezing a lot soon after getting them; and I was pretty sure it wasn't normal. =P

Sorry, I'm not much help to the OP, but I just wanted to say that if they were sneezing after you got them, and it seemed to get better as you had them longer, it is very possible they had something called "box shock" which is just a common thing that happens to mice and causes them to sneeze as they are adjusting to their new environment. It usually goes away after a few weeks of adjusting to their new home If they didn't have any other symptoms and got better on their own, it's likely that is what they had.

My Garcia had watery eyes. I was recommended saline eye drops from a vet, the link is below.

In my case they run because she's very sensitive to stress. Even cage cleans make her eyes run for the day, but she's good for the rest of the week and it doesn't get too bad with this stuff. I tend to put a drop on my finger and dab it onto the eyelid rather than dropping it because I always miss.

Regardless, whatever eye issues your mouse has, this will help at least a little. Not sure about anything else, though!

@River wrote:My Garcia had watery eyes. I was recommended saline eye drops from a vet, the link is below.

In my case they run because she's very sensitive to stress. Even cage cleans make her eyes run for the day, but she's good for the rest of the week and it doesn't get too bad with this stuff. I tend to put a drop on my finger and dab it onto the eyelid rather than dropping it because I always miss.

Regardless, whatever eye issues your mouse has, this will help at least a little. Not sure about anything else, though!

Thank you so much! I'll see if these work. I have noticed they both act a little odd when under stress so that very well could be it. Thanks again!

_________________New to the world of mice, but not to the world of rodents. Mice, hamsters, gerbils, chinchillas.My meeces: Darcy, Daisy, Daphne, Kalypso, Saratoga

Other pets: Kitties Juniper, Ozzie, and Rosie, Teddy Bear the poodle, Chinchillas Lily and Nina (a mother-daughter pair), Ferrets Hope and Azrael, and the fish-- Neon Tetras named after the Beatles and a Bristlenose Plecostomus named James. James is female.

Founder of Project Happy Paws-- phpaws.cf and foster mom to Strudel and Bagel!

Rest in peace, dear Scuttlebug and Shiloh. I love you both, now and forever. You'll always be my babies.

Rina’s eyes would get a little weepy sometimes in her old age. No other symptoms or inflammation. I would just use an eye wash as needed. But if they start to look red or swollen, I would suggest a trip to the vet. She may just have overly sensitive eyes or a mild allergy. Cleaning more often might help. Try to keep the room their cages are in well dusted too. I hope this helps.

@AnonymousMouseOwner, thanks for telling me that! I'm not sure I knew that about box shock. I wonder now if that was it, but a couple of them I didn't have long enough to see if it was going to 'clear up' by itself after so long, so I'm not 100% sure about that.

_________________Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD. Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart. - Psalms 119:1-2. Oh, aren't we blessed? =)

Thanks guys!! I'll definitely be picking up some saline rinse, I hope it helps

_________________New to the world of mice, but not to the world of rodents. Mice, hamsters, gerbils, chinchillas.My meeces: Darcy, Daisy, Daphne, Kalypso, Saratoga

Other pets: Kitties Juniper, Ozzie, and Rosie, Teddy Bear the poodle, Chinchillas Lily and Nina (a mother-daughter pair), Ferrets Hope and Azrael, and the fish-- Neon Tetras named after the Beatles and a Bristlenose Plecostomus named James. James is female.

Founder of Project Happy Paws-- phpaws.cf and foster mom to Strudel and Bagel!

Rest in peace, dear Scuttlebug and Shiloh. I love you both, now and forever. You'll always be my babies.